Entrepreneurship

Compiled annually by Deloitte, the Technology Fast 50 features eight companies founded by University of Waterloo alumni, and 10 additional companies with a Waterloo connection. Recognizing the world-class achievements of Canadian technology companies, the Technology Fast 50 program winners showcase innovation, leadership and rapid revenue growth between 2017 and 2020. 

Alex Rodrigues and Brandon Moak, the 20-something founders of an autonomous trucking company now valued at approximately US $5 billion, don’t have to look far for a reminder of their roots.

Hanging inside the front doors of their San Francisco office, a photograph shows a teenaged Rodrigues giving Feridun Hamdullahpur, then president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo, a ride around the Ring Road in a self-driving golf cart.

Every year, KidsAbility supports more than 11,000 children and youth in Southwestern Ontario. Clients are helped through programs designed to assist with communication, social and physical goals, but face significant challenges when they move beyond the scope of their services at 21 years old.

Seeing recycling boxes and garbage cans overflowing with restaurant and fast-food containers while walking to and from Waterloo’s campus
motivated two alumni to launch a zero-waste business.

Kayli Dale and Jacquie Hutchings, who both graduated from chemical engineering in 2020, co-founded Friendlier, formerly known as A Friendlier Company, last year to help keep food packaging from ending up in landfill.

As the world continues to change and everyone rethinks their business, the digital divide could further divide those who have access to technology and those that do not — but we’ll see a new gap in digital skills.

“There’s a new digital divide that’s going to come upon us — it’s going to be those that have the skills to thrive in a digital world and those who don’t,” said Vivek Goel, University of Waterloo president.

An online learning company that was started by a Waterloo Engineering student who challenged himself to think big is now poised to go public.

D2L Corp., which was founded in 1999 while John Baker (BASc '00) was still an undergraduate student in systems design engineering, filed a prospectus with regulators this week to list on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DTOL.

Despite breakthrough diabetes research over the past century, people with diabetes still need to rely on obtaining blood samples to monitor their sugar levels. Daily glucose monitoring by tracking blood sugar levels is essential for managing both types 1 and 2 diabetes, however the current method – finger pricking – is invasive and can become burdensome with how often it needs to be done.